ICYM: UPDATE: 3 days after the publication of this post, a 24-year old resident of Buffalo was killed on Christmas Eve. This brings the total number of homicides in 2014 to 58, as well as 8 killed within 11 consecutive days this month. I also would like to take this opportunity to address some of the recent criticism Ive received regarding some of the posts Ive published here on Facebook. Some of the recent progress in the Queen City is being overshadowed by a rash of violence. Lately Ive been criticized for posting negative posts. These posts can often challenge the #Buffalove theme many in our community are promoting. There are publications such as Buffalo Rising and Whats Going On In Buffalo? - of which I am an avid reader of - that devote themselves exclusively to promoting all the positive things happening in our city. I post on a wide variety of topics that interest me, both positive and some that may be perceived as negative. I, as much as anyone else, love promoting many of the great things happening in our town. When something as tragic as these killings happen in our city, it is my opinion that we should raise awareness, not keep quiet about it. The first step toward finding solutions for issues that impact our city is to recognize that we have a problem.What would we accomplish by not discussing something as tragic as this? Unfortunately, the reality I see is that for all the development currently taking place in the downtown corridor, the lives of tens of thousands of Buffalo residents remain unchanged, and in many cases have worsened. City residents are still dealing with record violence, chronic poverty and high unemployment rates - not to mention the troubling graduation rates. I wholeheartedly believe that we need to keep ourselves grounded in reality while still making plenty of room for acknowledging some of the amazing things happening in our city. My consciousness will simply not let me rest while ignoring some of the more gruesome realities that many in our city are facing. I do want to let you know that I truly appreciate the perspective many of you share with me regularly on issues ranging from our education system and poverty to Canalside Buffalo and Larkin Square Thank you for your continued involvement.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:52:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015